The Most Beautiful Flower of the Nile
by jonjuan
Summary: She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I could never love anyone else after I had met her. She was everything I ever wanted. And she could never be mine. Ishizu/Isis X original character.
1. Chapter 1

This is loosely based on the Yugioh anime/manga. I'll be switching back and forth between the present day and ancient Egypt. I was always fascinated with the character Ishizu Ishtar, so I thought I'd write a fanfiction about her.

Enjoy. Please read and review.

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I was a scribe in the lands of the Pharoah's. Life was easy for educated men such as I. My father had been the royal scribe of the Pharoah himself and that title would pass to me. I was content. Blessed with youth, life was an adventure. The sun set on the Nile and rose to greet her the next day. I would wake up early to see the Sun Disk kiss the surface of the waters. It was one of the wonders of the world that made me thankful to be alive. I was instructed in the workings of the Divine who created us and the world. The Nile was the most beautiful of the Divine's creation.

One morning, I rose early before my studies in order to watch the Sun Disk rise again. Father had brought many flowers home that he gave to my mother the previous day. They came from far East and I believe he called them "Lotus flowers." I thought I would give these beautiful flowers to the Nile to praise her for her beauty, so just as the Sun rose to meet his daughter, I placed a lotus flower on the river and gave my humble gift. I watched the flower as it went downstream until I noticed a young girl on the other side of the river. She picked up the flower and marveled at its beauty. I suppose she had never seen a Lotus before. When I saw her face, I was stunned. I couldn't help but gaze at her. For a moment I had asked myself if the Nile had chosen to grace me with her beautiful prescence by taking human form.

I walked across the river as if under a trance. The young lady heard me approach and looked up at me.

"Is this yours?"

I couldn't respond to her. I dared not defile the ears of the Nile if she truly was before me.

"Can you speak?"

"I can, my lady."

"Does this flower belong to you?"

"I gave it to thee."

"But you do not know me."

I had to contradict her. I woke up every morning to see her. Of course I knew her!

"My lady, I rise before my studies to see the wonder of thy beauty as your father shines upon thee. I am honored that the beautiful river Nile from which life comes has appeared to me and even speaks to a humble boy such as I."

"I am confused by your statement, sir."

"Oh, goddess, I wish not to dishonor thine ears anymore with my foolish words."

"It is no dishonor. You have given me a beautiful gift. Speaking to you is but a small way to repay you."

"I graciously thank you for accepting my gift goddess."

"You are mistaken, young sir."

"I pray I have not acted disgracefully in thy divine presence."

"No, you misunderstand. I am no goddess. My name is Isis. Though I am named after one, I am mortal as you are."

I felt quite ashamed at this.

"Forgive me, my lady. I was unaware. I suppose it was because I come here every morning to watch the sun kiss the Nile and I thought that perhaps she had come to see _me _today."

"I am sorry to have disappointed you. If your gift was to the Nile, I can return it to you."

"No, please keep it. I can think of no other being, human or divine that I would wish to have it."

"Thank you, it is truly beautiful. May I ask another gift from you and inquire your name?"

"Baraka."

"Thank you, Baraka. I hope we will meet again."

She walked away and stepped into the sunlight. It was then that I saw the golden head band that signified her status. She was to be a servant of the pharoah and part of his royal court of aids and advisors. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I could never love anyone else after I had met her. She was everything I ever wanted. And she could never be mine.


	2. Chapter 2

5000 years later...

"Hello. Mr. Stephen?"

"Yes?"

"I'm calling on behalf of Mr. Seto Kaiba. He would like to invite you to his office tomorrow in order to discuss the terms of your agreement."

"But I'm in Italy right now. I'm visiting a relative of mine. I can't possibly make it there by tomorrow."

"Is your relative still ill?"

"No, she's recovering, so it's not as though I don't want to come to meet Mr. Kaiba, but I'm afraid I cannot book a flight that will arrive in Domino city by tomorrow."

"Mr. Kaiba is sending his private Blue Eyes Jet to transport you. First Class."

"Oh. Thank Mr. Kaiba for his generosity. I'll pack immediately and be at the airport right away."

"I'm emailing you your boarding pass as we speak."

"Thank you, sir."

"Enjoy your flight, and I will be there at the airport to personally greet you and drive you to Kaiba Corp's headquarters."

John closed his flip phone. He sat at the edge of his bed and looked outside. The moon was full tonight, and he had always been superstitious, so he wasn't completely surprised that such a strange urgency was placed on the business deal with Seto Kaiba. Notaro John Stephens was in the sound industry. Kaiba was developing a new device to be used in conjunction with the Duel Monsters trading card game. He thought perhaps that it would take a few weeks to draw up the business contracts, but this was only a few days after initial negotiations.

_What was Kaiba's rush anyway?_

In Rome, it was almost midnight and John was about to get to bed. He hadn't expected any calls, especially from Kaiba Corp. By this token, he figured that something of urgency had come up. He gathered his clothes and certain books and placed them in his carry-on suitcase. He reached for his glasses on the night stand and made his way downstairs. He laid a check on the front counter. He took out a writing pad and a pen to jot down a quick note.

"_Per favore.."_

He was interrupted by the innkeeper who was awoken by John's rush down the stairs.

"Scusi, Signore. Um..."

_What's the Italian for can you?_

"Err.."

"Do you need me to leave a message for someone?" said the innkeeper in perfect English.

John didn't have time to be shocked.

"Yes. Please call this number in the morning and tell them that Notaro had to leave on a business trip, but that he would call tomorrow."

"Alright. Thank you for staying with us. Buona Sera."

"Grazie."

"Prego."

John rushed along the cobblestones to a place with good reception and made a phone call.

"Hey, sorry to wake you, but Kaiba Corp wanted to meet with me right away."

"It's ok. I was just dreaming about Mai Valentine and we had just been shipwrecked on a tropical island without anyone to get in our way."

"Sorry about that."

"No worries, sir. I was just joking. Mai wouldn't have me in real life anyway. I'll be right there."

John waited for about 5 minutes and then he heard the roar of a Ferrari.

"Took you long enough," jested John.

"I'm not exactly Speed Racer at 12:00 in the morning."

"Haha, my bad, Sonny."

"Don't worry about that. Let's get to the airport, shall we?"

John stepped in and drove off into the night with the windows open.

When they reached the airport, one of Kaiba's suits had been waiting at the base of a gigantic airplain in the shape of a Blue Eyes White Dragon.

"See ya Sonny. Thanks for the lift. I'll meet you in Domino in a day or two."

"Sure you don't need me for anything for a bit?"

"Yeah. Kaiba will have some transportation and besides, I don't mind walking."

"Yeah, you need to lose a few pounds," said Sonny despite the fact that John was amazingly thin for one who didn't exercise much.

He stepped up to the Kaiba Corp employee at the base of the dragon.

"Hello, Mr. Stephen. Welcome to Mr. Kaiba's-"

John interrupted him by throwing him his suitcase.

"Hey, I'm John. Let's get this thing in the air. Kaiba's in such a rush to see me so why don't we get going then, alright?"

"Of course."

Jake reclined on the leather couch in the main section of the jet. Kaiba's employee stood in what appeared to be the flight attendant's area and intended to remain there until the jet landed in Domino.

"You guys have any snacks back there?"

"We have caviar and all the finest hors d'oeuvres."

"Got any Cheetos?"

"I, um, actually brought some myself."

"Mind if I share? Why don't you sit on the couch across from me? You can't stand all flight."

"Thank you, sir."

"No, thanks for the snacks."

John put on his noise canceling headphones which he designed himself so that he couldn't even hear the Cheetos crunching as he chewed.

When the planed landed, John removed his headphones and looked at his watch. He had already shifted the time to match that of Domino City. He was surprised that only 2 hours had passed.

"How did we get hear so fast?"

"Mr. Kaiba's jet is state of the art. No expense is spared in business deals. Mr. Roland will be here to drive you to Kaiba Corp's main office. Mr. Kaiba understands that you probably haven't gotten much sleep and therefore has scheduled his meeting for later in the evening."

"Thanks. Oh and thanks a lot for the Cheetos."

"No problem, sir."

John took his bag and went to meet Roland.

"I trust your flight was enjoyable."

"And speedy. How do you get these things to go so fast?"

"All secrets of Kaiba Corp. I'll drive you to Kaiba Corp now."

John collapsed on the bed of his room and fell into a deep sleep.

_John opened his eyes and heard the movement of water. _

"_Where am I?"_

_John heard a faint voice that seemed to be humming a sweet tune. He was mesmerized by the sound. He followed the source of the voice until he could make out the figure of a woman. He couldn't make out her face for a moment, but eventually he did manage to see a smile, but he could not see the rest of her face. Before John could move any closer, he woke up to his alarm._

"It's that dream again."

John looked at his watched and saw that he had two hours before his meeting with Kaiba. He turned on the news which was almost over.

"...the recent Egyptian exhibit at the Domino City museum has caused quite a sensation amongst duelists and history enthusiasts alike. The Ancient Egyptian roots of Duel Monsters are illustrated with special carvings that seem to resemble the images on Maximilian Pegasus's popular card game."

"Hmm...Duel Monsters in Egypt? This I've got to see. Besides I have some time to kill."

These two characters aren't as unrelated as I may have (unintentionally) made them seem to be. I suppose I'm going to model this relationship off of Yugi and Atem's in the anime, but not entirely. I don't know if alter ego will be utilized in this story.

We'll be back in Egypt next chapter.

Please read and review.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up the next morning and went to the river again. My life was never the same. I had to see Isis again. I prayed that she would be at the river again so that I could give her another gift. I practiced my writing daily and yesterday, I worked especially hard. Our family was one of the few that could read and write with the exception of the Pharaoh and the royal family. Usually, I copied the sacred scriptures to master the symbols, but yesterday, I worked on my own original composition. Poetry was usually left to the poets that seemed to be inspired by the gods in the court of the Pharaoh, but I was inspired by my own muse. After yesterday, I could take my pen in my hand and words would just appear on the page as though it weren't me writing them. It was difficult enough to speak my feelings, but Isis made things easier. Words came like water flowing of its own accord.

My father was pleased that I worked so diligently and said that I would happily take his place when the time is right. I never told him what I was writing about. He never knew the reason for my new passion for the pen.  
I rushed out of the house, hoping not to be late. I was too excited to slow down. And much to my eyes' content, my Isis was there as she was the day before. I was unsure of my eyes because she seemed as though she had grown even more beautiful since last we met. In timidity, I walked up to her and presented her with the papyrus scroll.

"Another gift? You flatter me, Baraka."

I said nothing as I waited for her to read it.

Her eyes shone brighter than the finest jewels after she had finished reading.

"Another beautiful gift. But I have nothing to give you."

"My lady," I started slowly.

"It is more than enough that you should even accept my humble offerings."

"You speak of me again as a goddess. I am just a woman. A girl even still. Nothing extraordinary."

"If only you could see yourself through my eyes."

"Do you truly mean what you say and write?"

"Yes, my lady."

"Call me Isis."

"Thank you, Isis."

Isis brushed her hand across the cool water. I was completely enchanted by watching her. She took me to another world completely, and I had no control over it. It was the simple things that most attracted me. The way she spoke, the way her hair smelled, and even the way that she touched the water.

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"Let us meet again tomorrow. We will make it past the banks of the Nile."

"Of course, Isis. I will await the next day eagerly."

The days went by quickly as we met every day. I told Isis about my training to become the Royal scribe and she told me of her training as Guardian of the Pharaoh in the palace. Everyday, I rushed to the river to see Isis, and everyday we said good by until the next time we would meet. Whenever either of us could not meet, we sent each other little notes like, "Tomorrow, we can enjoy the river a bit longer. There is much to talk about." She truly did value all that I had to tell her in the few moments that we had together. Although I never did much worth mention, we always did have much to talk about. We spoke of philosophy, our childhoods, our daily routines, and anything and everything that we were interested in.

As though the hand of fate had acted, we came together one morning to tell each other of great news. I saw her running to me with a golden necklace around her neck with the symbol of a Millennium Item.

"Baraka! My friend! I have just passed the tests required of me to become adviser and guardian to the future Pharaoh!"

"Wonderful news, Isis! I was also appointed a spot in the court of the Pharaoh. I shall be the new chief scribe. My father has retired and the palace officials feel as though I can follow in his footsteps!"

Isis took my hands in hers.

"Oh, my dear friend. This means that we won't have to limit our meetings to the mornings by the Nile. We will see each other every day in the palace. The gods smile on our connection. I have no doubt of this."

Admittedly, I was a bit embarrassed at this, but it felt right. This was were I had to be, working with Isis to serve our country. However, she would always call me her friend. Was I nothing more to her? Did she not know why I had come to the River? The reason did not change. I originally came to worship and praise the Divine for their beautiful creation. I hadn't told her that _she_ was the object of my devotion. I praised the heavens for her because I felt as though I witnessed a small part of the Divine whenever I was with her. At least I wouldn't have to watch her from afar any longer.

"Shall we meet again tomorrow before we start our knew lives together?"

"I would have it no other way."

Isis embraced me ebulliently. I caught the fragrance of her hair as the wind blew in our direction. It was intoxicating, but I had to eventually let go.

"Then we shall see each other tomorrow. I pray that the blessings of the Protectors of Egypt fall upon you and protect you. I hope that they will grant that we always meet again."

"Do you really pray for such a thing?"

"Every day. Especially days that we don't meet. I would be devastated to find that I could no longer see my friend. I truly do value the time that we have spent together."

"But we have only known each other a few moments a day."

"For years, Baraka. And in the moments that we spend, I feel as though fate has brought me to you to share the day with you and to hear of yours as well. I have always had a sense of destiny. That is why I was bestowed with the Millennium necklace."

"I see. Then I cannot go against fate. I will see you tomorrow."

And with that we left for tomorrow we were both to begin new lives for the greater good of Egypt. As I went home, I pondered what would become of me when I entered the palace as Royal Scribe. What would happen to Isis after she takes up her duties? She must know that once she takes he vows to the Pharaoh, he priorities must lie with his protection first. Urgent matters will diminish the time that we see each other. I will only be able to watch and record as a scribe does. I cannot hope for anything more. I only hope that she will find happiness in her life. She may never be with me, but if she is truly happy, that is enough.

I had not noticed that I took twice as long to return home as usual. My parents were worried that I had gone missing. I said nothing to them as I entered. I only opened my mouth to tell them that I was going to practice with my chisel. The scribe of the Pharaoh will need to learn to carve messages on walls and tablets so that the future civilizations will know of what occurred in Egypt under his rule.

My father always taught me to begin my work by dedicating it to the gods, but today I began a bit differently.

"Protectors of Egypt and spirits of those who came before us. I promise that I shall strive to live my life in service. I shall think of myself only after the needs of the country and others are met. Please, I only ask one thing. Let Isis and I always meet again after we depart from each other's sight. Please, always bring us together despite the distance between us."

From then on, I began my work and put thoughts of myself behind me. It was a small sacrifice for what I asked: to be able to come back to Isis and ensure that one goodbye will never be the last.

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How was it? Please read and review. I'll try to update when I have a chance to. Thanks for reading ^_^


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